Configuration: Printers

Printer Maintenance Screen

Proper configuration of your print queues will enable you to print folios, registration cards, reports, and other items from SMS|Host.

Tool Bar Buttons

Label Description
Up and Down Arrows Navigate a single printer entry up or down
Top and Bottom Arrows Navigate to the first or last printer entry
Escape Exit this screen
Add Add an entry for a new printer
Edit Edit the current entry
Scan View a list of all printers
Delete Delete the current printer

Note that if this printer had been deleted previously, it can be restored by selecting Un-Delete.

 

The fields on the printer setup screen are described in the following table.

Field Description
Description Name of the printer that will appear in the printer scan lists
Properties If SMS|Multi-Property Management is installed, this will control which Multi-Property can print to this printer
Print Queue

Printer share name as setup in Microsoft® Windows

 

Note: Share names should not be longer than 13 characters and should not contain spaces or symbols such as: #, $, &, *, etc.

File Server Computer name from the test page. This is generally the name of the printer server or file server to which the printer is connected.
Local Port (1-3) For printers which are connected via an LPT port, this is the port number of the LPT port to which the printer is connected
Font Type

Specifies the font type. Options include:

  • C - Courier (Serif)
  • L - Letter Gothic (Sans Serif)
Font Size Specifies the font size from 10 to 20 CPI. 17 CPI is recommended for reports.
Paper Size

Specifies the size of the paper. Options include:

  • A4 - A4 size (210 x 296 mm)
  • LT - Letter size (8.5 x 11 inches)
  • LG - Legal size (8.5 x 14 inches)
  • TB - Tabloid size (11 x 17 inches)
Paper Orientation

Specifies the orientation of the paper. Options include:

  • P - Portrait
  • L - Landscape
Tray

Determines the tray from which the paper will feed. Options include:

  • 0 – 9 – Tray number
  • E – Envelope feeder
Custom Tray PCL Code

This setting is usually left blank

Workstation & Network Configuration

Before the printer can be added to SMS|Host, it must be accessible from the workstation.

Note: These steps may vary depending on what version of Microsoft® Windows has been installed on the workstation.

  1. Add the printer to the workstation from the Control Panel
  2. Print a test page from the workstation

To print a test page:

  1. Right-click on the printer
  2. Select Printer Properties
  3. Select Print Test Page

SMS|Host Configuration

Once the printer has been installed on the workstation, it can be configured in SMS|Host.

  1. Select Configuration
  2. Select Printers / Queues Setup
  3. Select Launch Selection
  4. Select Add
  5. Enter the printer share name from the test page
  6. Enter a Description (this will appear on the scan list that the user sees)
  7. If appropriate, specify the Local Port
  8. Specify the Paper Size

Paper size options include:

  • A4 - A4 size (210 x 296 mm)
  • LT - Letter size (8.5 x 11 inches)
  • LG - Legal size (8.5 x 14 inches)
  • TB - Tabloid size (11 x 17 inches)
  1. Complete the optional fields

Specify the following fields:

  • Font Type
  • Font Size
  • Paper Orientation
  • Tray

If these fields are left blank, the following will default:

  • Font: Courier
  • Font size: 10 CPI
  • Paper Orientation: Portrait
  • Tray: 2
  1. Select OK

Troubleshooting

If the printer will not print the document, consider these troubleshooting tips:

  • Were you able to print a successful test page? This may indicate a connectivity issue with the network and the printer.
  • Can you print from any other applications besides SMS|Host (such as Microsoft® Word, notepad, etc.)? If yes, then the issue may be related to the printer configuration in SMS|Host.

Check to make sure the queue name meets the following requirements:

  • No longer than 13 characters
  • Does not contain any spaces
  • Does not contain any strange characters such as #,$,&,*, etc
  • Print queue names may contain dashes (-) and underscores (_)
  • If the issue is related to SMS|Host, is it specific to a module (such as SMS|Retail POS)?
  • Can you print to this printer from a different workstation? If yes, the issue may be related to the workstation.
  • Can you print to other printers from this workstation? If yes, the issue may be related to the printer installation on this workstation.
  • Are you able to login as an administrator and print to the printer? If yes, the issue may be related to permissions.
  • If you are using a Terminal Services / Citrix Environment, then the same troubleshooting tips listed above apply, although they need to be performed from a desktop session on the Terminal / Citrix server.
  • If a print job still does not print, have you checked the cables, power status of the printer, and the paper status of the printer?
  • Folios, registration cards, statements, and other forms printed from SMS|Host are setup to only print in portrait orientation. If you chose a printer that prints landscape, the print job will fail.
  • If you receive an error when printing, it is possible that the share name on the network and the print queue name as setup in SMS|Host do not match. Check the test page again to make sure you typed it correctly.
    • Check to make sure that the name of the printer as it exists on the network and the share name match. They cannot be different. See above for print queue requirements.